Strawberry Cake

Whenever a friend of mine has a birthday, I always ask to bake his/her cake. While there will always be bakeries with silver salvers and fancy fondant, I think many readers would agree that cakes baked from scratch evoke a greater level of love and care.   

For those of you who like strawberries or know someone who has a birthday coming up, here is a revised version of my favorite strawberry cake that I featured on the blog many moons ago (here).  

Strawberry Cake w/Strawberry Frosting

Believe it or not, it’s incredibly hard to find a recipe for homemade Strawberry Cake that doesn’t use baking mixes or freeze-dried strawberries and artificial flavors.  This recipe uses fresh summer strawberries and is as easy as a box mix.  You’ll never use store bought strawberry cake mixes ever again!

Ingredients:

–Cake–

* 1 1/2 cups strawberry purée (see instructions; about 4 cups whole strawberries)

* 4 1/2 cups Swans Cake Flour

* 3 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

* 2 cups sugar

* 4 eggs

* 1 cup milk (whole goes best here)

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

–Icing–

* 4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

* 2 sticks butter, room temperature

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1 cup strawberry purée (about 2 cups whole strawberries, but can use more if frosting is too thick or dry)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

* Food Processor

* 3 (9-inch) cake pans

1.) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 baking sheets and set aside. Wash whole strawberries, stem and hull, and add to a food processor. Using the blade attachment, process strawberries until puréed.

2.) Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk: cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4.) Using a standing mixer and paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until mixture is light and fluffy.  

5.) Slowly add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Add milk and extracts. Mix to combine.

6) Pour 1/3 of batter into 3 greased (9-inch) cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife or cake tester comes out clean. Allow cakes to rest in their pans for ten minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

7) Prepare strawberry frosting: cream together butter and confectioner’s sugar in a standing mixer. Add vanilla and strawberry purée, mixing on medium-high speed until you have the right consistency (this step is based on personal preference).

8.) Ice cake: plate bottom layer of cake on a serving dish and frost. My frosting technique is to add a big lump of frosting and smooth evenly. To prevent crumbling, start off with a lot of frosting, then scrape off extra frosting when it is spread evenly over the surface of the cake.

9.) Add second layer of cake and repeat. Add third layer of cake and repeat.

10.) Finally, frost the tops and sides of the cake making sure to use enough frosting all the way around and on top. Decorate with strawberries.

Strawberry Cake, 5.0 out of 5 based on 3 ratings Google+